Warm chicken soup

Hoo… hoo…

The sun had steadily ascended to its zenith, and a considerable amount of sweat already beaded on Yún Mù’s forehead, yet his determined footsteps showed no sign of faltering.

The residents of the city’s west side, seeing his familiar face clad in such unfamiliar attire, were all momentarily taken aback, yet they still greeted him warmly.

“Hey, Young Yún,” one called out, “Why are you suddenly dressed like this today! I don’t recall that girl Lín Xīzhī ever teaching you to dress this way!”

“That’s right,” another chimed in. “If you go around like that, be careful some young lady doesn’t call you a hooligan!”

Playful jests, full of good-natured teasing, rose and fell around him, yet they failed to halt his hurried steps.

“Eh, that’s strange,” one elderly woman mused. “Why isn’t Young Yún acknowledging us today? Could he truly be in such a rush?”

Witnessing Yún Mù’s uncharacteristic behavior, the grandmothers and grandfathers, who had been laughing and jesting moments before, suddenly grew puzzled.

“Indeed,” an old man added, stroking his beard. “He’s never been this hurried on a normal day. Could it be… he’s found himself a sweetheart?”

“Oh, how wonderful that would be!” exclaimed a grandmother. “To be with our Young Yún, that girl would surely live a blessed life. After all, he’s such a fine young man.”

“Yes, yes…” another murmured. “If that’s the case… that girl Lín Xīzhī, up in heaven, would surely be at peace.”

Clearly, while they cared deeply for the young man, they did not imagine the situation to be one of such bitter grievance or deep-seated hatred. In fact, their thoughts drifted to even more pleasant possibilities.

After all, this was the capital city, the very place where they had lived for decades. They had never witnessed anyone daring to commit bloody acts openly, so naturally, their minds did not venture down such dark paths.

****

“…Finally, I’ve arrived.”

Yún Mù gazed at the familiar small courtyard before him, and at the two small children, waiting as always by the courtyard gate. A gentle smile touched his lips as he waved.

Though referred to as a study house, it was, in truth, merely the humble residence of an ordinary family.

“Xiao Qiu, Xiao Chun, hurry inside!”

He shouted, his voice hoarse, only to see the two children, instead of heading indoors, sprint directly towards him.

“Brother Yún Mù!”

Their tender childish voices rang out. Though he was in a hurry, he instinctively slowed his pace, fearing he might accidentally knock the two children to the ground.

“Brother Yún Mù, you’re finally here! Xiao Chun and I missed you so much.”

“That’s right, that’s right!” Xiao Chun added. “When you weren’t here, that girl Xiao Qiu kept muttering your name so much my ears nearly grew calluses!”

“Who, who kept muttering his name!?” Xiao Qiu retorted, her cheeks puffing out. “It was clearly you, Xiao Chun, who muttered it more! Liars get snatched away by the Big Bad Wolf!”

“I, I…” The little boy, hearing ‘Big Bad Wolf,’ stammered, unable to form words. He tugged at Yún Mù’s clothes, looked up at him, and his eyes suddenly lit up. “Brother Yún Mù, why aren’t you wearing clothes? You’ll catch a cold like that.”

Xiao Qiu, who had been about to continue bickering with her younger brother, heard this and finally noticed the young man’s current state. She first covered her mouth, her face flushing slightly, then, casting aside all shyness, she grabbed his hand and began pulling him determinedly towards the house.

“Grandpa! Come quickly!” Xiao Qiu cried out. “Brother Yún Mù seems to have no shirt on!”

Xiao Chun, mimicking her, also grabbed his right hand. The two little ones, one on each side, enthusiastically dragged the young man into the house.

Inside the house, the white-haired old man, hearing the excited shouts, rushed out from the kitchen, still holding a slotted spoon. He raised a hand to adjust the reading glasses on his face, and a moment later, recognized the young man.

“Grandpa Xie, I have something important to tell you,” Yún Mù began urgently. “You first… Eh, Grandpa, please listen to me first!”

“Oh, what’s wrong with you, child?” Grandpa Xie exclaimed, not waiting for the young man to speak further. “What could be more important than your own health? Just look at you…” He turned and walked into the bedroom, beginning to rummage through a large wooden wardrobe.

Seeing this, Yún Mù could only follow him inside.

“Grandpa Xie, listen to me!” Yún Mù pleaded. “You must quickly take Xiao Chun and Xiao Qiu away from here. Someone is trying to kill… Mmph…”

But before he could finish speaking, the old man pulled a decent quality garment over his head. For some reason, the young man instinctively raised his arms, allowing the old man to dress him.

“Hey, it fits perfectly!” Grandpa Xie said, patting his back and beaming. “Looks like I’m not that old after all. …By the way… Mù’er, what were you just saying? Grandpa’s ears aren’t so good, I didn’t quite catch it.”

“Grandpa, listen to me, someone is trying to kill…” Yún Mù tried again.

“Oh, you remind me, I almost forgot!” Grandpa Xie interrupted, a sudden realization dawning on his face. “The old hen I specially butchered today is still in the pot. Child, you go wait in the study first. Grandpa will come find you after cooking.”

The old man, whose eyes were supposedly dim with age, was now acting with surprising decisiveness. A resounding ‘bang’ of the kitchen door closing echoed, and the young man was left standing alone once more.

“Grandpa! You…”

He turned, intending to knock on the kitchen door, but found Xiao Chun and Xiao Qiu standing before him instead, holding a book and a jar of honeyed sweets, their faces filled with eager anticipation as they looked up at him.

“Brother Yún Mù,” Xiao Qiu announced proudly, “this is the book you wanted to read last time but couldn’t find. Xiao Chun and I found it for you.”

“And also, also!” Xiao Chun chimed in, holding up the jar. “These are the sweets we saved this month. For you to eat.”

“You… alright…” Yún Mù sighed, a complex emotion in his eyes. He stepped forward and gently patted both their heads, saying softly, “Why don’t you two go wait for me in the study? I’ll come read you a story in a little while, alright?”

“Okay! Then Xiao Qiu and I will wait for you, you absolutely must come!” The two held hands, exchanged a bright smile, then took a few sweets from the jar and placed them in the young man’s hand. “That’s right, Brother must come!” With that, they scampered off.

“Alright…”

The young man popped an orange-colored honeyed sweet into his mouth. As he glanced around the familiar room, the initially sour-orange flavor of the candy inexplicably exploded into pure sweetness.

He walked to where the calligraphy brushes were kept, took down a well-preserved brush and a piece of hemp paper, then moved to the table by the window.

The young man glanced at the clothes he was wearing, then tore a strip of fabric from his trousers, placing it as a cushion on the tabletop. With a decisive stroke of the brush, he wrote everything he needed to say on the hemp paper.

His gratitude, a single heartfelt line, spoke volumes.

The remainder of the message consisted solely of urgent instructions for them to lie low and avoid danger.

Afterwards, he meticulously returned everything to its original place, pressing the hemp paper down on the dining table with a bowl they would use for meals. Then, he turned and ran out of the house.

Yún Mù gazed at the familiar flowers and plants surrounding him, then closed his eyes, suppressing the overwhelming urge to turn back and say goodbye, and sprinted away along the path he had come.

****

“Hoo-hoo-hoo, my dearest little ones!” a cheerful voice boomed. “Grandpa’s special chicken soup is ready!”

Inside the house, the old man emerged, carrying a steaming bowl of fragrant, rich chicken soup, his face wreathed in smiles.

He placed the chicken soup on the table, completely unaware of the note underneath.

“Xiao Chun, Xiao Qiu, and Mù’er, come quickly for dinner!”

“Okay!”

From the room, the two children ran out, laughing. They knew that their monthly lavish lunch had arrived once more.

“Grandpa, what are we eating today? Xiao Chun and I smelled the aroma just now, it’s so fragrant!”

“That’s right, that’s right, it smells so good!”

“Hahahaha, you two little gluttons! Today we’re eating a whole chicken!”

Hearing ‘chicken,’ the two little ones’ eyes instantly lit up. They watched the steam rising from the table, licked their lips, and exchanged a whispered consultation.

“I heard… the drumsticks and wings are the tastiest parts of a chicken. How about we each get one?”

“One each, huh… Or maybe we should give them all to Brother Yún Mù and Grandpa? After all, they work so hard.”

“Hmm, you’re right, let’s give them to them then.”

The two chattered back and forth, completely oblivious to their grandfather’s darkening expression, as they both looked up and called out:

“Grandpa! Where’s Brother Yún Mù?”

“That’s right, where did Brother Yún Mù go?”

The old man did not speak immediately. He folded the hemp paper in his hand and tucked it into his pocket, then raised a hand to pat both their heads.

“Your Brother Yún seems to have left on urgent business. Let’s eat lunch first, and then later I’ll take you to Grandma’s house, how does that sound?”

“Eh, but… alright…”

The two children sighed in unison, looking towards the doorway. After a moment of hesitation, they quietly climbed onto their seats.

Heat waves surged upwards from the chicken soup, the slotted spoon plunged into it, carrying a few drops of the old man’s sweat, disturbing the oily ripples.